Jack Draper has been spotted on the practice courts of the Canadian Open less than 24 hours after his tearful first-round defeat. The British star has been battling an arm injury for the past year and had not competed since losing in the Eastbourne semi-finals in June. He returned to action in Montreal as a wildcard but suffered a 6-4 2-6 6-2 defeat to Terence Atmane on Tuesday and suddenly started sobbing at his bench in the middle of the third set.
The former world No. 4 has yet to address the tearful scenes in Canada and has not yet confirmed whether he felt something in his arm during the match, which could have sparked the outpouring of emotions.
Draper, 24, has already received a wildcard into next week’s Cincinnati Open, and his heartbreaking reaction in Montreal has left many questioning whether he will be able to compete in the upcoming Masters 1000 tournament.
But the current world No. 143 tamed fears when he returned to the practice courts on-site in Montreal on Wednesday afternoon for a training session. Draper booked Court 4 for an hour and was seen sparring with his team. He was later spotted in the players’ gym cooling down on a bike.
The Canadian Open was just Draper’s seventh tournament of the season as he has continued to struggle with arm and knee issues. After losing the first set to Atmane on Tuesday, the British No. 6 turned things around in set two and notched a forehand quality of 9.7 as he took it 6-2.
But Draper suddenly began to decelerate on serve in the decider and went a double break down. Trailing 1-4, the tears started to flow at the change of ends. “We’ve noticed, certainly the last 10, 15 minutes, he’s just not looked right, so one can only imagine that maybe he’s feeling the injury again,” commentator Adam Fielder said on Sky Sports.
Annabel Croft replied: “That’s my instinct. I’m with you, that would be my first instinct, is that he knows what’s going on inside his body, and he knows the work he’s done to try and get back on court.”
Draper played on but couldn’t capitalise on two break points in the next game, and quickly lost in three sets. But his decision to hit the practice courts on Wednesday has shown positive signs that he is still able to train.
The Brit has suffered from bone bruising in his left arm since last year. He took a seven-week break between Wimbledon and the US Open, won one match in Flushing Meadows, then pulled out of the tournament and later ended his 2025 season.
He has since struggled to string matches together this year. A knee issue sidelined him from April to June, and he missed Wimbledon and the DC Open in Washington due to the arm injury.